Vladimir Popov was a career Red Army player. He began to play hockey with the CSKA youth program in 1966. He joined the mighty CSKA in the elite Russian League in 1971. Playing for the Red Army team led by the legendary Anatoly Tarasov was a great honor for an 18-year old prospect.

Later on Vladimir Popov developed into a solid 3rd line player for the CSKA and was ocassionally invited to play for the national team. His life-time association with the Red Army brought him seven national titles in 1971-73, 1975, 1977-79. At the same time, the Red Army was able to use military draft system in the USSR to obtain the best hockey talent nationwide. Being highly
competitive, newly arrived prospects kept pushing solid CSKA performers away from the top line In a way, it didn't allow Popov to develop into a higher caliber player on the CSKA roster.

At the time of the Summit, Vladimir Popov was only 21. Team USSR 1974 coaches gave him a chance to play
in the last game of the Series. Popov got a 2-minute penalty for interference in the second period. By many accounts, Popov's top international performance was when he played in the Red Army vs. NHL clubs in the 1975-1976 Superseries.